Aston Martin to make high-performance BEVs with Lucid Motors

Lucid Motors will be key in Aston Martin’s ‘Racing. Green.’ Program

Aston Martin’s all-new modular BEV (battery electric vehicle) platform will draw power from a fresh source as it starts implementation of its five-year, £2-billion electrification strategy called ‘Racing. Green.’, signaling its transition from using ICE (internal combustion engines) to BEV technology.

The British luxury carmaker has tapped 16-year-old American electric automaker Lucid Motors as one of its suppliers of powertrain components for initial and future BEV models.

“The supply agreement with Lucid is a game changer for the future EV-led growth of Aston Martin. Based on our strategy and requirements, we selected Lucid, gaining access to the industry’s highest performance and most innovative technologies for our future BEV products. We will not only leverage the significant investments Lucid has made to develop its world-class technologies but will also further enhance and differentiate the drive experience through the work Roberto Fedeli and his teams are already developing, aligned with our ultra-luxury, high-performance strategy,” said Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin.

Aston Martin’s new agreement will not affect its relationship with Mercedes-Benz AG as one of its sources for powertrain and electric/electronic architectures.

“Along with Mercedes-Benz, we now have two world-class suppliers to support the internal development and investments we are making to deliver our electrification strategy. With the recently announced long-term partnership with Geely, we will also gain the opportunity to access their range of technologies and components, as well as their deep expertise in the key strategic market of China,” added Stroll.

The short-term plan of Aston Martin is to turn its Valhalla mid-engined supercar into a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and launch it by 2024. By 2025, it wants to offer an electrified range of hypercars, sports cars, GTs, and SUVs. Come 2026, all-new models from Aston Martin will have an electrified powertrain option before becoming fully electrified by 2030.

“The proposed agreement with Lucid forms a significant pillar of our electrification strategy, providing Aston Martin with access to the industry’s leading powertrain and battery systems technology. Combined with our internal development, this will allow us to create a single bespoke BEV platform suitable for all future Aston Martin products, all the way from hypercars to sports cars and SUVs. In addition, we will continue to expand our in-house powertrain capabilities, allowing us to provide the thrilling performance and intense driving experience we know that our customers love and expect from Aston Martin,” said Roberto Fedeli, Chief Technology Officer of Aston Martin.

Combining Lucid’s powertrain with Mercedes-Benz’s electronic architecture is the key for Aston Martin. Having advanced propulsion technology coupled with the ability to tune four-wheel torque vectoring should allow the marque to preserve its sporty driving dynamics. Aston Martin's next-gen BEVs will also sport advanced technologies from other brands, including Brembo’s brake-by-wire system and Pirellis’ Cyber Tire.

With so much going on with Aston Martin and its upcoming BEVs, it is hard not to get excited about their electric future.